A repost from the retail website
This is an introduction to our Bladder Health Tea. This tea is one of our more popular and beneficial teas. The flavor is so wonderfully citrusy and mildly sweet you will want to drink it every day. This tea was blended especially for me at a time of need but has quickly become one of my favorite all around teas to drink for enjoyment. A lot of our customers purchase this tea as well for maintaining the health of their urinary tract system but also just because it tastes so good!
4/20/22
This morning I woke up to a flare up of my Interstitial Cystitis. All the lovely symptoms of a UTI without the actual infection. So instead of my usual cup of coffee, I went straight for the Bladder Health Tea. All it took was one big cup full and my symptoms were gone. I kid you not.
I have been one of those lucky women to have never been plagued very much with urinary tract infections. My mom used to suffer with them at least once or twice a year. I’ve only ever had one true UTI and it was excruciatingly painful. If you’ve had one you never forget the pain. It is terrible. Burning pain on urination along with a terrific pressure on your bladder making you feel like you have to pee even if you just did. The pressure on your bladder is the worst and is very painful.
Your choices of treatment usually involve seeing the doc for confirmation that you do indeed have a UTI, followed by antibiotics, and maybe some sulfa drugs like Bactrim or Septra. They can come with their own set of issues like the dreaded yeast infection, especially in women.
There is also another urinary tract issue that, for me, just popped up out of the blue one day a couple of years ago. I thought I had a UTI but when it went on for a few days without any relief, still no burning and by now, if it was an infection, I could have developed a fever…no fever. By the way, I’m a nurse and going to the doctor is always my last resort (we’re stubborn that way) but that shouldn’t be YOUR last resort, please go get checked out and make an informed decision about your plan of treatment with your doctor.***
I decided to do some research into what would cause these symptoms – painful bladder pressure and pain but no burning on urination and no fever, signs of infection. The diagnosis I came up with was Interstitial Cystitis.
According to the Mayo Clinic, Interstitial Cystitis is:
Interstitial cystitis (in-tur-STISH-ul sis-TIE-tis) is a chronic condition causing bladder pressure, bladder pain and sometimes pelvic pain. The pain ranges from mild discomfort to severe pain. The condition is a part of a spectrum of diseases known as painful bladder syndrome.
Interstitial cystitis most often affects women and can have a long-lasting impact on quality of life. Although there’s no cure, medications and other therapies may offer relief.
During my research I also read in multiple sources that IC can also be part of the myriad of auto-immune and inflammatory processes that seem to be so common today. IC can present as chronic and ongoing or as flare ups. I have flare ups, and thankfully not that often now.
Flare ups can be caused by irritation in the bladder wall – most often due to a food sensitivity. Pelvic floor irritation – likely due to sexual intercourse or sitting for long periods, any activity that might increase pressure on the bladder wall. And muscle flare ups caused by spasms in the bladder muscle wall.
There are very few medical treatments available for IC and most patients turn to alternative methods. Treatments can include hot/cold therapy, physical therapy, dietary changes, increasing water intake, reducing stress, and herbal supplements.
Rod had been following along with my symptoms and research and once we felt like I had the right diagnosis he went to work on something to help.
He already had a tea blend that he called “UTI Fix” but it was geared more towards infection. Within a day he modified that and had a new recipe tea blend for me to try. The ingredients are: Golden Rod, Celery Seed, Corn Silk, Shavegrass, Juniper Berries, Cleavers, Gotu Kola, Sarsaparilla, Marshmallow Root, Usnea, Uva Ursi and Hibiscus.
I made the tea and waited anxiously (and painfully) for it to steep long enough. I drank nice big mug of tea and within 10 minutes I could feel the pressure starting to ease up. I drank a second cup of tea. Within an hour all my symptoms were gone and did not come back. Just to be safe though I kept drinking 2 cups a day for a few days. Truly a miracle tea for me. The pain and pressure were awful and then just gone. ***
So, back to the diagnosis of Interstitial Cystitis. What caused this to happen for me? Finding the cause was key for me so I could hopefully avoid having it happen ever again. I didn’t think I had anything in the auto-immune category going on. Inflammation, sure, most likely. I think everyone has some element of inflammation in their bodies these days because, for most of us, our diet just sucks. And have you looked at an anti-inflammatory diet? Sigh….. However, that said, diet was probably the root cause of my IC.
So what foods are likely to cause IC? Well, obviously foods that can increase the inflammatory process – wheat, gluten, high sugar foods, processed foods, processed meats, etc. Also acidic foods and drinks like alcohol, sodas, coffee, acidic fruit juices, acidic fruit like oranges and lemons, tomatoes. And *gasp* yes….chocolate. To name just a few.
My triggers happen to be acidic foods and drinks, mostly drinks. The weekend prior to my first bout with IC I had been enjoying myself at a friend’s house on the lake drinking lots of fruit juices and alcohol – you know…having fun, lol. With this flare up today – I have been very bad diet wise in having 2 cans of ginger ale a day for the past week, a few tangerines, eating a lot of tuna and topped it off with salmon patties last night. The tuna and salmon are good for you, yes, but they are also high in Omega-6 fatty acids. So all of that together led me into a flare up of IC this morning. More than likely it was the 2 sodas a day that really did it. I am not used to that, in fact, I had given them up for a long while. But right now now it’s a comfort thing for me. Rod turned me on to Ginger Ale as a staple beverage to drink when we first met. I used to only drink it when I was sick. The man loved his Ginger Ale and I occasionally have a craving for them.
I am forever grateful for Rod’s knowledge and for everything I have learned from him and will continue to learn from him. This morning I was once again thankful for one of his teas.
If you haven’t tried any of our teas you really should. 98% of them have a great flavor. The Bladder Health has an especially good flavor. I have no problem drinking it a couple of times a day. Which I will be doing for the rest of this week as well as increasing my water intake. And looking at making some necessary changes to my diet.
If you have any questions about anything in this post or anything on the website please do not hesitate to email me at belfire@live.com.
Y’all have a great weekend!
Susan
Resources used:
https://wellnessmama.com/remedies/interstitial-cystitis-remedies/
https://www.drnancymiggins.com/post/7-foods-that-can-increase-inflammation
Thearapeutic Herb Manual by Ed Smith, 2009
Rod Morey’s Personal Herbal Grimoire
Bladder Health Tea Ingredients list:
- Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis) – Promotes kidney function, diuretic, soothing anti- inflammatory, anti-spasmodic.
- Celery Seeds (Apium graveolens) – Urinary anti-septic, diuretic, restorative
- Juniper Berries (Juniperus Communis) – Urinary stimulant, diuretic, antiseptic
- Marshmallow Root (Althaea officinalis) – Mucilage, demulcent, soothing to urinary tract tissues. Anti-inflammatory, enhances immune system response.
- Shavegrass/ Horsetail (Equisetum arvense) – Diuretic, urinary astringent, stops passive bleeding, restorative, strengthens tissues.
- Cleavers (Gallium aparine) – soothing diuretic, useful for irritation and inflammation in the urinary tract, great overall cleanser
- Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica) – anti-inflammatory, rejuvenating to tissues.
- Corn Silk (Zea mays) – Diuretic, soothing, urinary tract specific for inflammation and cleansing, antiseptic.
- Sarsaparilla (Smilax ornate regelii) – general blood cleanser and detoxifier of the kidneys; anti-inflammatory
- Uva Ursi also called Bearberry(Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) – Diuretic, astringent, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory. Native Americans have used this herb for centuries to treat bladder and kidney infections, cystitis.
- Usnea (Usnea spp.) – general broad spectrum antibiotic as well as antifungal.
- Hibiscus (Hibiscus sabdariffa) – used for it’s sweet, citrusy flavor and it’s loaded with Vitamin C.
***The information provided in this article is anectdotal, for informational and educational purposes only. It is your responsibility as the reader to do your research and confirm any information provided to your own satisfaction. You are responsible for consulting a medical professional before trying any new herb or remedy mentioned. Belfire Botanicals, LLC and Susan Morey do not intend to diagnose, advise about or treat any medical condition. As with conventional medicine, herbal medicine is vast and complex and must be used responsibly.
***The statements in this post have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Contraindications may exist. Consult expert medical advice before using during pregnancy. Keep out of the reach of children.
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